With four games going into overtime, including one major upset, there was no shortage of heroes in Thursday night's games. After all, with so many OT contests, there was opportunity for some serious stat-padding. But these four players carried their teams on their backs and, in the process, ensured that they would live to fight another day:

Shabazz Napier, G, Connecticut

STATS: 24 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists

BREAKDOWN: Even when he's not at his best, Napier is still affecting plays. Napier shook off a poor first half to lead his team down the stretch, including nine overtime points, in an 89-81 victory over Saint Joseph's.

Lawrence Alexander, G, North Dakota State

STATS: 28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists

BREAKDOWN: Alexander came out of nowhere to nearly triple his season average with a career-high 28 points. (And, by the way, he only ranks fourth on the team in points per game for the season.) His game-tying, overtime-forcing 3-pointer with 11 seconds left was a thing of beauty and something that will surely go down in NCAA lore.

Luke Hancock, F, Louisville

STATS: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists

BREAKDOWN: The numbers aren't eye-popping, but it was Hancock's performance late in Louisville's 71-64 win over Manhattan that earned him a spot on this list. He hit two huge 3-pointers late to help the Cardinals avoid an upset and further burnish his reputation as a late-game assassin.

Cameron Ridley, C, Texas

STATS: 17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists

BREAKDOWN: Ridley was having a great game even before he sank that buzzer-beater to lift Texas past Arizona State 87-85. But that final game-winning shot -- in which Ridley collected a missed 3-pointer off the floor and banked it in as time expired -- ensured that the 285-pound sophomore would forever hold a special place in the heart of Texas.